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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28494321">Parent-Teacher</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaWallflower/pseuds/MegaWallflower'>MegaWallflower</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Laughter, M/M, Parallels, Unresolved Emotional Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:08:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,807</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28494321</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaWallflower/pseuds/MegaWallflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s customary for the jonin squad leader to meet with the parents.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy, Hyuuga Neji &amp; Maito Gai | Might Guy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>152</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>KakaGai Week 2020 entries</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Parent-Teacher</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s customary to meet the parents.</p><p>Officially, it’s a verbal waiver, of sorts. Accidents happen. The job of a shinobi is laden with burden and surrounded by death, and to be frank, sometimes the job of a shinobi was simply to die. The official objective of this parent-teacher meeting was to ascertain that the parents would be fine with the high possibility of their child dying in the field, or being kidnapped, or sacrificed, or tortured, or traumatized. It also served as an assessment of the parents’ own temperament.</p><p>Unofficially, some parents were “too attached” to their children. Part of the role of the meeting was to make sure they weren’t likely to be a risk to become “too emotional” if anything happened. Because, as all jonin teachers were reminded again and again before they even met their new team, “accidents happen.”</p><p>Even so, “accidents” were less likely now. The times they were living in now didn’t quite qualify as peace, but they weren’t currently at war, and Konoha had been successful in selling a powerful image of itself to other villages in less prosperous countries. Outside of the high tensions of active wartimes, the custom of meeting the parents wasn’t strictly enforced for jonin.</p><p>Right now, the meeting was just an optional nicety.</p><p>For civilian families or even ninjas without a clan, it wasn’t compulsory. No one would check to make sure you’ve met the chunin parents of a family with no history or clan or power. If the parents and children were all too weak to be a threat, even if they were mad, then there was no point. If the parents and children could be wiped from the village without anyone caring or anything “important” suffering from the loss, then it didn’t matter. Officially.</p><p>At times, Guy wondered whether or not Choza had met up with Duy before the team formed.</p><p>But that didn’t matter. It wouldn’t have changed Guy’s mind either way.</p><p>Even if his students were the children of clanless genin or penniless civilians, Guy would have gone through with it. He had already decided that, when he first decided that he wanted to teach a team. He would take the parents out for dinner, praise their kids and their parenting skills, promise that he was strong enough that he would protect his team with every ounce of strength in his body, and then some.</p><p>Not for the unofficial reasons of risk assessment and depressing reminders, but because it seemed like the right thing to do. The bond between parent and child was precious, and Guy wanted to be someone who the parents would be happy to put their trust in. For Guy, the official point of meeting the parents should be to reassure them that, as a teacher, he loved their kids just as much as they did, and as their teacher, he’d go to the ends of the earth to make their kids happy and keep them alive, just as any parent surely would. He wanted the parents to be as proud and confident in Guy as Duy surely was in Choza.</p><p>The decision was already made for Guy, anyway.</p><p>When you’ve been assigned to a high-ranking child of one of the oldest, noblest clans of the village, the meeting is mandatory. When your student hails from the thriving Hyuga clan, Lord Hokage makes it very clear in your briefing that this is not a choice, and that you are not to embarrass the village.</p><p>Tenten and Lee were both orphans who didn’t even have birth records in Konoha. No family, no history, no clear roots.</p><p>Neji was an orphan as well. But he was also the only nephew of the current head of the Hyuga clan.</p><p>In the back of his mind, Guy wondered if part of the reason Kakashi kept failing his students was to avoid having to talk to parents. It was probably not the main reason, but if it was even part of it, then that was all the more reason for Guy to make today go well with flying colors! He’d brag to Kakashi about what a blast this was! Kakashi would probably roll his eyes, but if nothing else, maybe he’d be curious enough to consider the possibility a little more. Kakashi had always had the fire of competition burning bright in his soul, just as much as Guy. He wouldn’t dare sit by and let Guy surpass him.</p><p>As always, Guy would put everything he had into this, body, heart, and soul.</p><p>And Guy would be confident, with his best foot forward. It didn’t matter how old or how big the clan was, it didn’t intimidate Guy! He’d pass this test, and even Kakashi would admire him!</p><hr/><p>“From this day forward,” Guy announced proudly. “Neji will be under my command, as my student and my comrade, if that meets your approval! I’ll treasure him like he’s my own and channel all my flames of youth into making Neji the best he can be! That’s a promise!”</p><p>Neji sat alone on a small mat in the corner of the room, a practiced vacancy to his expression and tight control on his emotions. He had the air of a man older in soul than in body, but only because Guy could recognize that control as something trained and artificial and enforced, acquired through lessons whose main teacher was probably fear. He’d learned it from Kakashi.</p><p>The young boy didn’t spare a glance at Guy, and more relevantly, neither did Hiashi.</p><p>Instead, Hiashi continued presiding over the match between two young girls. They were both well past the point of exhaustion, and neither seemed motivated to push beyond. They just seemed too scared to stop the fight. The scent of blood, sweat, and metal hung heavy in this room.</p><p>So, this heavy atmosphere was what it meant to come from a noble clan…</p><p>“—I will protect my students with my life!” Guy continued, making his voice gentler, more thoughtful. He wasn't put off by Hiashi’s silence or Neji’s; he'd never been one to let anyone else put him at ill ease so easily. “I swear I don’t take this responsibility lightly!”</p><p>When Hiashi finally spoke to him, the words were even colder and sharper than expected. “I don’t need some meaningless oath sworn on something as worthless as <em>your</em> life. Things like you are thrown away daily,” he snapped. Guy had heard rumors about the Hyuga’s harsh glares, but seeing it this close really was chilling. “You seem dim-witted, so listen closely. I don’t intend to repeat myself.”</p><p>Even as his thoughts ran a million miles per second, Guy kept his voice upbeat and chipper, “Of course! I’m all ears, Hiashi!” He struggled to maintain a smile on his face, but he had to make sure he didn’t appear nearly as uncomfortable as he felt. Guy could already tell that Hiashi wasn’t the sort of person he should be meek to. Neji would never be able to have faith in a sensei who would kowtow to a man like that.</p><p>Hiashi glared sharper at Guy’s jovial tone. “You’re a necessary, but very expendable and very replaceable, stepping stone. It will be useful for Neji to become a jonin, and joining a team is an effective way to do that in order to enter the exams. Even if that team is full of incompetent people on par with nobodies like you, Neji will rise above it. All you need to remember is that, first and foremost, Neji is not under your command. Orders from the Hyuga clan supersede orders from you.”</p><p>There was an unsettling sharpness to Hiashi’s words. Pins and needles prickled like a deep unease underneath Guy’s skin. “Well, Neji’s an invaluable addition to our team, and we’re all thrilled to have him! My three students are so impressive already, I know they’ll grow to be my prides and joys! They’ll be very powerful beasts, ‘on par with me’! But don’t be too flustered about that, it’s inevitable for children to surpass the prior generation, after all!” Guy posed dramatically, spinning and grinning and being hammier than usual.</p><p>Neji’s shoulders relaxed slightly and he blew a stream of air out through his nose that might have been a laugh. It was gone by the time Hiashi fixed him with another glare. “You’re an embarrassment of a jonin…” Hiashi said, clearly directing it at Guy, even though he still seemed reluctant to acknowledge his existence.</p><p>Hiashi continued to watch his daughters’ spar.</p><p>The older one flexibly bobbed out of the way of an aggressive gentle-fist attack, lined up a perfect chance for a counter, then froze during the brief window of opportunity she had. The younger one successfully landed a powerful blow, and, unprepared, the older girl was knocked from her feet and tumbled over the harsh wooden floor.</p><p>Her back arched and her muscles moaned as she stilled. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes burned with tears. She grunted in pain and cradled her stomach. She writhed against the ground for mere seconds with her eyes squeezed shut. She struggled to get a grip on the pain, but her rest was short lived.</p><p>“Hanabi, Hinata, did I say you could stop?! Get back up! Now!” Hiashi barked a sharp command, and the youngest girl before him complied, immediately rising to her feet and glaring at her sister. The older one was slower to stand, bruised and shaking and reluctant. Hiashi just sneered at his daughters. “Pathetic…”</p><p>“That’s a terrible way to encourage rivalry or growth,” Guy complained. “My father always gave me positive reinforcement as motivation! It works much better!”</p><p>“And look how both of you turned out. Dregs of society. I don’t need advice from some nobody brought up by a nobody. Know your place.”</p><p>Guy shot him a shining grin to annoy him even more. “Oh, we’re both teachers! A teacher’s place is to teach! A good teacher is part of the makings of a good shinobi!”</p><p>“Are you suggesting I’m not good at what I do?”</p><p>“I’m not saying anything except that a student’s prosperity and confidence is the best badge of honor for any teacher! I notice you’re training a couple of youngsters together! I would be happy to give you some pointers on that!”</p><p>Hiashi glanced away from the two girls, and Guy followed his line of sight to Neji.</p><p>“There’s nothing you can or will teach Neji. I don’t imagine anyone will be learning much of anything from Duy’s kid who was given a vest out of pity. You’re a glorified babysitter. Neji belongs to the Hyuga clan,” Hiashi said, once he was willing to give Guy even a fraction of his attention again. The way he said ‘belong’ didn’t have any warmth or sense of family. “If you have nothing more to discuss, then leave. You’re in the way.”</p><p>“—Funny you mention that! I did have more to discuss! I’m so glad you’re raring to listen!”</p><p>From the glare Hiashi shot him, it was pretty clear that it had been meant as a rhetorical question. Guy had known that from the start, though. He answered it with his goofiest, dumbest, most optimistic smile and kept talking like that look on Hiashi’s face couldn’t kill.</p><p>“Were you planning to train Neji today?” Guy asked in his most innocent, oblivious tone of voice.</p><p>“<em>I </em>don’t train <em>him</em>,” Hiashi answered sharply, weight behind his words that Guy wasn’t equipped to parse. Like it was obvious common sense. “He’s here to fight Hinata in case she proves insufficient and I need to spar Hanabi myself. She always falls short. She wouldn’t be in the academy if she was worth my own personal training.”</p><p>The air in the room grew tenser, colder. Neji clenched his teeth and held back an urge to glare. Both girls tensed up, the older with a whimper and younger with a glower. The older girl froze up for a moment, just long enough for the younger girl get in a hit that knocked her to the ground.</p><p>Blood and spit splattered from her mouth, coating the wooden floor red as she crumpled to the ground. Slender body shuddering and convulsed from pain, eyes blurring, she was barely able to dodge the foot that suddenly swung forth to kick his side, shifting just enough to avoid the full force of her younger sister’s blow.</p><p>Hiashi scoffed. “From the looks of it…”</p><p>The older girl twisted around and swept her legs under her sister’s. The young girl leapt over the sweep, but it provided just enough of an opening for her older sister to quickly jump to her feet and jab her palm straight into her solar plexus. She flew back from the hit, righting her footing in a backflip and heaving to catch her breath.</p><p>“I’m… I’m not done,” the older girl panted out, catching her breath while he waited for her sister to get back up.</p><p>When the younger one recovered from the hit, Guy could see that she was smiling. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. The younger girl’s eyes sparkled in admiration as she got back up. “That was amazing, elder sister! It really hurt! I felt that one!”</p><p>She offered a shaky grin back. “I’m not done, so… Neji-nii-san can… go hang out with his… new team…”</p><p>“That’s an excellent idea! Neji’s our newest teammate! I was hoping to bring them all out for some training! You won’t mind if I borrow him, right? Team bonding is a key element of perfecting teamwork and building a warm, powerful camaraderie!”</p><p>Hiashi rolled his eyes and ignored them both.</p><p>“—Otherwise,” Guy suggested, upping the youthful optimism in his voice along with the volume. Fire shown in his eyes and a sunset bloomed around him as he continued, tearfully enthused, “I could stay here to offer my commentary and enthusiastic, youthful applause while we cheer on these young shinobi and their enthusiastic spars! I have so much to say! In fact, sometimes song can be perfect for getting combatants in the mood, and I learned a very deep song from my very own father—”</p><p>“Neji,” Hiashi interjected curtly. “Hanabi will be Hinata’s training partner for today. You’re dismissed.”</p><p>Neji quickly brought a hand up to cover his mouth and nodded.</p><hr/><p>After practically holding his breath, stone-faced and silent with his hand covering his mouth the whole way, as soon as they were far enough away from the Hyuga compound, Neji finally let the small snicker of laughter he’d been holding in fall out.</p><p>Neji stood motionless for a couple of seconds, and then, he started laughing. It was a full, blooming laugh that echoed through the trees. He laughed and laughed until his body shook. “You—you’re a more ridiculous man than I had you pegged as.”</p><p>Neji’s laughter washed away all the earlier awkwardness and tension. Guy gave him his most oblivious grin. “I impressed you, too? Thank you! I think I made a good impression on him!” Guy said, full of manufactured naturalness in his role of acting the fool. Playing dumb was one of his most perfected skills. “I think Hiashi and I will get along just fine! He already thinks so highly of me!”</p><p>Giggles turned to chuckles, and then Neji was doubled over in laughter, hugging his gut. “I bet you do! I’ve—I’ve never—I thought he was about to get fractious with you, but you wore him down until you had your way! I’ve never seen anyone speak to Hiashi-sama out of line in that way! You’re not a wise man, but you’re brave!”</p><p>All the uncontrollable laughter was starting to make Neji’s eyes water, and he had to wipe the tears away with one hand. Neji laughed with the unkempt, unpracticed lack of grace that someone would with their first laugh.</p><p>Guy recognized it all too well, because he’d seen it in Kakashi the first time he’d pried a laugh out of him, too. Guy’s heart had fluttered at the sound. Each of Kakashi’s exhaled breath of joy stole Guy’s own breaths at the time. It was a pleasant sound, honest and true and imperfect with gasps and snorts.</p><p>Admittedly, Kakashi had been laughing <em>at</em> Guy at the time and definitely not <em>with</em> him, but back then, just like now, the only thing Guy could thing was,</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t know that even geniuses could smile like that.</em>
</p><p>Maybe all his time with Kakashi was preparing him for this. Guy’s smile softened in a tender pride and he silently thanked his rival for imbuing him with all the patience he would need for this task.</p><p>It was customary for teachers to meet the parents.</p><p>And it was customary for Guy for reach out to little geniuses.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Based on Kurenai's meeting with Hiashi when Hinata joined Team 8.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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